Study: Obama Trip Abroad Soaked Up Media Coverage

A new study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism shows just how much attention Barack Obama's trip abroad got last week:

Whatever the tone of the coverage, Obama's visit to the Middle East and Europe was an extraordinary media event. Coverage of the trip consumed 51% of the campaign newshole for the week of July 21-27, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism's Campaign Coverage Index. That was enough to make it the second-biggest campaign story line since PEJ began tracking them in mid-March. (Only coverage of the April 22 Pennsylvania primary, during the week of April 21-27, generated more attention.)

The biggest McCain-focused storyline was his vice-presidential pick (helped along by Robert Novak), but that took only 4% of coverage, and, PEJ reports, was often "couched in the context of a candidate desperately needing to create news of his own."

Of course, PEJ acknowledges that "not all of the coverage last week was flattering."

Comments

[Wildcatdiva]

presumptuousness, arrogant..."uppity N*" just call it like it is. M S N B C is a truest culprit so far and I can't hope folks write them enough to show them their distain for the b s they are spewing. Hardball was the one that caused my ire a few days ago. I don't watch joe anymore, he makes me nauseous. But my brother cued me in on the wp jealous writer. I don't think wp malbank was ready for the eyeful, he received from his email today, ha.

Although I think joe is staying afloat just because of the negative emailing. I guess they aren't harsh enough, yet. I will have to remedy that. hahaha...

However, I'm sure the rest of the bas***s have joined in the manta. I just refuse to watch anything anymore on the other networks except the cafferty files on cnn, I basically have that timed or I'll read it on the web.

[dhfsfc]

So, I watch Joe Scarborough desparately, and I do mean desparately, trying to flog the meme that "the press, and especially Mika, are in love with Obama."

O.K. So a superior candidate comes along, and by that I mean superior in intellect, character, substance and morality, to the current President. But the press can't cover the FACTS that point this out, including that the rest of the world is looking forward to dealing with someone better than George Bush, because if they do cover those FACTS, they are "in love" with the candidate.

What really chaps Scarborough's hide is that it is painfully obvious to all Americans, including the press, that Obama is the better man, and he is going to win. And Scarborough can't stand it.

[theone718]

28% of that coverage was some "pundit" calling Obama uppity, or how they like to say it "he shouldn't seem presumptuous or arrogant". Which is a joke if you ask me.

[vernonbc]

Only 28%? I'll guarantee that number was higher. A quick google of 'Obama presumptuous July' came up with 53,000 hits. 53,000 hits for one month!

"Coverage of the trip consumed 51% of the campaign newshole for the week of July 21-27, " -------- So isn't the inverse also true? That if Obama had 51%, then McCain had 49%. That's about as equal time as you can get and Obama was actually making news worth covering. McCain was eating German sausages, plus he was lying about and slamming Obama in every one of those 49% clips. Even within Obama's 51% share, I'll guarantee that 80-90% of it had something negative about Obama in it - will he make a gaffe, did he make a gaffe, is he acting too presidential, he won't admit the surge was successful, blah blah blah.

[likeicare]

Maybe it has something to do with the novelty of seeing foreigners WAVING the American flag, instead of burning it.

Eight years of Cheney/Bush has really affected some people's perception of reality, hasn't it?

[aznurse]

McCain should be grateful. It allowed Phil Gramm to slip away basically without much coverage.

[likeicare]

Gramm didn't go anywhere -- he's still with the campaign. They only said he resigned.

Just like everything else the Rethuglicans do -- say whatever you think people want to hear, and then do whatever you like.

[Jamchinadian]

I think what aznurse meant was the Phil Gramm disgrace escaped media attention because of all the "loving" being bestowed on Obama who, at the best of times, are inclined to slam Obama and give McCain free passes anyway. Somewhat peculiar definition of media love for Obama wouldn't you say!

[ComnCents]

We need a feature length film about the campaign staring Denzel Washington and Herman Munster.

Description of Herman Muster on Wikipedia:
Herman is a good-natured buffoon. Although enormously old, he behaves rather childishly, often throwing temper tantrums.

On second thought Herm is too tall. Next choice Grandpa Munster.
No, he has too much hair.

I need help with the casting for McWarlord.

[loax]

Of course there was heavy coverage. The only problem was it was so unbalanced it was sickening to watch how "journalists" acted like McCain lap dogs! Don't watch CBS ABC or NBC news anymore. They do not practice the balance that reporters are supposed to have. They have no integrity anymore. The press has attempted to crucify every move Obama makes, while the let old man mcCain skate on every issue. The MSM is bought and paid for by the Republican party!

[Tropiholic]

it's been so long since we had any candidate on either side who inspired people. with bad news 24/7 it's nice to feel hopeful again

[Wildcatdiva]

I wrote a long letter to m s n bc yesterday, I don’t know if someone actually read it but I was pleasantly surprised to see a pundit hit on my main theme. I am sick to death of the adjective “arrogant” used for mr. 0. it's a buzz word and doesn't escape many. if he were 100% Cau casian it wouldn’t be an issue. (Folks tend to forget that he is only half black). Should he not be confident and self assured? Do people want a weak kneed president? they claim they don't. Well, someone finally hit the nail on the head and made it clear it is not acceptable. thank goodness.

the media went overseas only to see him fall on his face, when that didn't happen, all of the talk of presumptuousness, haughtiness, and the possiblity of the "Ic arus syndrome". during all of the made up negativity, very few in the media wanted to admit the man's trip was a resounding success! people can be so small & petty that it's beyond pathetic.

[GuyFawkes]

They had to do a study to know this?

[justobserve]

Hahaha!

[poco767b]

The press talked about the press nearly as much as they talked about Iraq. there is something very wrong with that.

[PumaAnn]

lol*....they do that on the networks. Even in the primaries, they'd be talking about each other while the candidates were speaking.

And they wonder why they lost 17 million viewers.

[shel3364]

its all about dominating the press....

[suzyhein]

maybe, but those sausagehaus and Velveeta moments will languish in my fond memory for a very long time:)

[wanj]

LOL!! The only thing I remember too is the applesauce tumbling to the ground and the cheatsheet McCheese was using to tell him the price of milk....

[barackobama4prez]

Daddy Warbucks should have named his veep.

[sandtats]

Wow! Really? Gee, hadn't noticed! lol Did anyone actually need a "study" to point out the obvious? Of course it was wall to wall, non stop coverage; they couldn't WAIT for falling over themselves, salivating at the mere thought of a major gaffe, a trip up to the podium in Berlin, etc. And after each successful leg, the never ending MSM meme that, "but it could all be downhill from here, you know..."

Now if they had covered Mc C calling his traveling press corp a "bunch of jerks" the other day, (July 21st) and his dissing of that female, WSJ reporter, along with his countless misspeaks, temper tantrums and geography lapses; the juvenille JV press pass, "staying behind to cover America" nonsense, that would be news. Can you imagine the endless looping of that little gem ("listen you little jerks) had BO said that to the press? What exactly does Mc have on the press that keeps them from reporting anything negative about him, even his disrespectful treatment of them?! I'll never understand the perverse symbiosis of it all.

[aznurse]

It was several days worth of news when Obama called a reporter sweetie or something (and apologized)